Life through the eyes of an angel
by CelestialSanctity
Summary: It's been 15 years since Kratos has lost his beloved wife and son, but life goes on...And that boy, Lloyd...could it be..?Memories and Sins hold the answer....a Kratos x Anna fic
1. Prologue

**"Life through the eyes of an angel"**

Note:IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE GAME OR DON'T LIKE SPOILERS THEN I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU LEAVE, FOR THERE AREHUGE SPOILERS IN THIS FIC! I'M NOT HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOU IGNORED THIS WARNING, THANK YOO...

I do no own Tales of Symphonia nor any of the characters. I used the original story as a set-up for my fic, andI sincerly hope everyone is okay with that, k thnx.  
Please keep in mind, that people who review to point out grammer mistakes,  
or misspelled quotes from the game will be ignored. I know I'm a bad writer, can't help it...To everyone who reads, thank yoo very much!

* * *

- 01. Prologue - 

An icy wind blew over the land that seemed so peaceful at night. The wind rushing over the leaves made a pleasant sound, although he knew it was nothing but a naïve lie. The morning would be different, and his dead-existence would start all over again…

Kratos shivered. It was a cold night, and the sky was filled with stars. He hated nights like these. They remembered him of…her.

A heavy sigh passed his lips as he laid himself back in the soft grass. His hand stroking through the auburn-mess he called hair. The same question rushed through his mind. The same question that had been haunting his mind for 15 years , every night, robbing him from the sleep he didn't need. _"why?"_

Why did fate have to jerk her away from him in such cruel way? Why didn't they take his life instead of hers? He had been wandering this world for too long…

He wished he could blame Kvar, on of the five grand cardinals. After all, he was the one who had search parties sent after them. He was the one who had made Anna go through hell and back, and he had sworn he'd never forgive him for that. But still…that little space in his heart, that little space where Anna still lived was the one thing that snapped him back to reality. Anna was dead, and it was his own fault. He had killed her with his own hands. Those hands that had become tools of death to an innocent person…the person he loved, the person he'd sworn to protect, the only person who gave meaning to the word "life".

* * *

_- flashback-_

She had begged him to kill her, but still…He felt guilty, as his sword pierced through her body. Not that beautiful body he had longed to hold, not the silk peach-colored skin he wanted to touch, but that monster…

He shook his head in all his earnest. He couldn't think like that…he had promised her, no matter what she looked like, he would love her for who she was.

He remembered how he had held her dying body…The body that was slowly taking back her original form.

He held her close, stroking her face as he gazed into her eyes…the eyes that once sparkled with pure love, hope, trust, determination and goodness. But there where no signs left of that sparkle. Her eyes where glassy, not showing any emotion like they used to, her eyes filled with tears. She was coughing up blood as she slid her fingers over her gaping wound…

"_Kra…- tos"_ She whispered

"I – I'm so sorry" he murmured. She must have noticed the hesitation in his voice.

She turned her head and gave him a weak smile…He loved it when she did that. That smile, that used to take pain, and give strength to even the most wounded of souls. It was not the same smile…

"Anna…we'll get you to a doctor" he said, cupping her face with both hands. Her smile disappeared.

"_N-No"_ was her weak reply.

"_You swore to protect me, and you did…they didn't get what they where looking for…even after I die, they shall not have it. This…was my own decision…I wanted it…to be you"_

"Don't say that!" he hissed under his breath.

"I will never forgive myself for this…"

"_don't be too hard on yourself, Kratos"_ her eyes didn't reflect it, but her voice was full of emotions.

"_These years I've spend with you…those where the best years of my life. You gave me that what I had desired for so long…a healthy child"_ She slightly blushed after realizing what she had just said. However, …it was not the sickening sweet blush he used to love so much. And her sweet giggle had faded as well…

"_Kratos…"_ she continued.

"Promise me…that you will take care of our son, no matter what happens to me now…promise me…that you will stop hurting yourself, and give in to it that this was my own decision…promise me that…"

"I…promise…" his words shattered the silence between them.

He could feel the warmth flowing out of her body as she coughed up more blood, her face showing less emotion with every move she made…

"..No…Anna…please don't.." his voice like he could burst out in tears any second.

"_I-I love you…Kratos…"_ where the words drifting on the last breath that passed her lips.

Her pale hand reached out for his face, but she could not find the strength to reach him. His breathing stopped as her head turned away, her hand falling into the soft ground beneath them. He lifted her head up to his shoulder, unable to say anything as he held her dead body…

End of Flashback -

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Celest's comment: I hope you enjoyed reading this ...The story will get a different turn in the 3rd or 4th paragrapgh, but at the moment, I'm finishing the 2nd so...review:3 


	2. You seem familiar

02. You seem familiar –

A single tear dropped down his face…it's been 15 years since he lost his beloved wife and son, but carrying those memories was the most awful burden he had to deal with, every day of his unnatural long life in this world.

"_I thought I'd find you here!"_ a clear voice from behind him yelled.

Kratos looked over his shoulder to find a boy in red, about age 17, with brown hair and the most idiotic smile he'd ever seen anyone carry these days…

"Lloyd" Kratos started.

that name… 

"I thought we'd agreed that I'd be tonight's watch? You need to get some sleep, tomorrow will be another rough day.

The boy walked over to him, still carrying that awful smile…it send shivers up his body. The boy sat down next to him, looking at the stars as he spoke;

"_yeah, well….I couldn't sleep y'know…I often wake to find myself looking at the stars. The sky is just so bright out there…I've done it since I was little…that's the reason the one thing I studied seriously was the sky"_

Kratos snickered.

"I must say I'm surprised there's actually one thing you won't get bored with" he added.

_"Aww man! I bet Genis told you that, didn't he?" _Lloyd replied, irritation raised his voice.

For some reason…this boy reminded him so much off his self when he was younger.

Young, determined, reckless…and a terrible sense off Grammatics…

No kidding, after all, Lloyd was raised by a dwarf…it wasn't his real father though, he said he didn't know anything about his parents. He assumed his mother was killed by the Desians, and his father had died in a war between the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

Kratos, still deep in his thoughts, didn't notice Noishe walking up to them. The strange creature sat beside him, and Kratos stunned as he felt a warm and wet tongue slid over his cheek.

"NOISHE!" Kratos raised his voice as he yelled at the creature who had just "licked" him back to reality…

Noishe barked in excitement , as he finally seemed to have Kratos' attention.

Kratos' expression softened…he stroked the head of the creature, and Lloyd could swear he had seen a smile on Kratos' face.

"_Do you like animals?"_ Lloyd asked all of a sudden.

"No…not in particularly" Kratos replied pulling a face that said "why the hell are you asking me like I could give a damn?"

_"Well…Noishe isn't too comfortable with strangers y'know, but he seems to be smitten with you…It's almost like you've known eachother for a long while"_ Lloyd's words seemed to generate something in Kratos…as he looked at his companion, he saw Kratos sitting there with a blank stare, his mouth hung open. Noishe howled, but it didn't seem to bother him. Kratos was already living in his memories…

…like you've known eachother for a long while….It seemed impossible, but…then why did they bring back those awful memories? Everything seemed to match…This boy, he be..? That was impossible…he lost his son the same day he lost his beloved Anna. He remembered how he had fought of the Desians to protect his son and…Noishe…He had sworn that he would take care of his son, he promised Anna…

He had stumbled down the cliff Lloyd and Noishe fell from during his fierce battle with the Desians. But all there was left where the Desian corpses, half-eaten by the monsters…His son was dead…wasn't he? Could it be that…this Lloyd…

Kratos knew that his heart, that desired so much for that answer, was not enough to get his beloved son back…but still…that name…Lloyd…

* * *

-_ Flashback_ -

_"But Daddyyy! I don't wanna go to bed! I'm not tired!"_ Lloyd's expression made Kratos want to strike a hand over his heart and give in to that innocence, but on the other hand…he knew the consequences…Anna…

"No but's Lloyd, It's far too late for a boy your age to be up at this hour.." was Kratos' reply.

_"awwww….pleeease daddy? I won't tell mommy, I promise!"_ Lloyd was way too confident for his own good…Kratos smiled.

"A promise isn't enough , being aware of what your mother will do to me if I let you stay up all night" he said as he pulled his son up his shoulders.

At the same moment, Anna walked out of the tent, the expression on her face was just what Kratos had hoped for…that determination in her eyes as she gave him a death glare.

_"Lloyd! Are you still up! Do you know what time it is?"_ she yelled, giving Kratos the "responsibility look".

_"Mommy! Mommy! We looked at the stars together!"_ Lloyd started.

_"There where lots of pretty stars! Oh! And one really big star! Daddy said it sparkled just like your eyes!"_ Lloyd giggled.

Kratos felt his head turn red as he noticed Anna staring at him.

_"Did he now?"_ She said while looking at him with that suspicious look and that evil smile…

He hated it when she did that…Kratos felt his head turn even more red. He coughed to break the silence, as he spoke;

"All right! Time to go to bed now" he said, pulling his over- enthusiastic son with him.

Anna lifted Lloyd and hugged him as she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

_"Good night…"_ she said with a smile

_"Good night mommy…"_ Lloyd said with a yawn

Anna watched her husband and son disappear into the tent. She smiled, she was so proud of her family…

"Good night Lloyd" Kratos said pulling the blanchets over his son.

_"Good night daddy…"_ Lloyd pulled his father towards him and hugged him.

Kratos smiled as he held his son. For almost four – thousand years he'd been on this world , but in all that time, his family was the only thing that had really mattered to him. Kratos let go of Lloyd, and walked out of the tent. He turned his head and smiled as he saw his son lying there, with all of his childish innocence.

_"Finally…"_ he heard someone say as he entered the darkness outside.

Kratos found Anna, sitting by a fire, a blanchet wrapped around her body and that same sparkle in her eyes. He smiled as he sat beside her, and placed a kiss on her cheek. She placed her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

_"He reminds me so much of you"_ Anna said without looking up

"Oh really? He reminds me more of you…" he replied with a smirk.

Anna sat up straight, as she gave him that flirting look.

_"You mean…sweet, beautiful and intelligent?"_ she almost sounded like she was drunk.

"No…that he's driving me crazy" He gently brushed his lips against hers and enjoyed her sweet giggle.

She blushed as she jerked him towards her and started answering his kiss. He enjoyed being with her just as much as she enjoyed being with him. He wanted this moment to last forever…

_end of Flashback_ -

* * *

"_Kratos?"_

….that voice…

_"Kratos are you even listening?"_ the same voice again…

Kratos snapped out of his memories as he looked upon the figure who called his name. He recognized the red, the dark hair, the two swords…

"Lloyd?" he couldn't find words…

_"Kratos are you all right? Is….something bothering you?"_ The boy asked in a friendly way.

"N-no…I'm…just getting tired, I guess…" Kratos felt like a bad liar.

_"you go to sleep, I'll take on your shift, okay?"_ Lloyd almost sounded excited.

Kratos knew it wouldn't be a good idea to let Lloyd take on his shift, but he got himself stuck in the situation so he had no other choice.

"Do as you wish" Kratos said, as he stood up, turning his back towards Lloyd.

_"You're a confusing person, Kratos"_ Lloyd said with a smile.

_"I wish I got to know you a lil' better, cuz..I have this feeling that you know a lot more about me then I do about you…well anyway, Good night!"_

"Oh, I'm sure of that" Kratos said as he walked away

_...I'm sure of that..._


	3. The road ahead

03. The road ahead -

* * *

The next day started exactly the way it always did. Kratos leaned against a tree as he watched his fellow companions, still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

He noticed the silver-haired boy walking up to him.

"_Kratos…why do we have to get up so early?"_ the boy asked with a big yawn.

Kratos frowned

"Stop whining Genis" he started.

"you should be grateful that you actually managed to get some sleep. If it hadn't been for me I would've dragged you along all night" he smirked

"_Right…whatever"_ Genis said as he walked up to his sister with a dull look on his face…

Raine was already settled in her Ruin-mode, scrolling down the pages of an old dusty book she had dragged with her the entire road.

"_Fascinating!" _She yelled at she closed the book with a slam.

"_This book contains some very interesting chapters about the journey for salvation and the regeneration of the world!"_ Raine waved the book at the others. She looked happy.

"_That's good Professor!"_ Colette said with a sickening smile

"_If only her cooking was as good as her knowledge then we wouldn't have to fear for our lives…"_ Genis had hardly finished his sentence or Raine had already slammed him in the head.

"_What did I do!" _Genis shrieked, rubbing the back of his head.

Kratos smiled as he stood up and walked over to his companions…

"If we're all set then I suggest we'd leave for the next town" He said in his serious tone.

"_What!"_ Lloyd yelled

"We didn't even have breakfast yet! C'mon Kratos! Can't we get something to eat before we leave?"

Kratos frowned again

"And where do you plan on getting food in this neglected area? We've run low on our supplies, so it's best to move on as quickly as possible to stock up in the next town" Kratos had enough of Lloyd's moaning.

"_but I'm hungry now! It's at least half-a day walking to the nearest town!" _Lloyd whined

"No" was Kratos' harsh reply

"I suggest you'd stop crying and start walking before I give you a reason to cry for…

I promise that you can eat as much as you please once we arrive in the nearest town, at my costs that is…"

Genis looked a little dumb folded,

"_Where do you plan on getting that much money?"_ he asked sarcastically

"I've saved some from my last job" he added with a smirk.

"Now, let's be on our way"

And with that he walked off…

Lloyd and Genis shrugged, Raine had already buried her nose into a book, and Colette sweetly skipped after Kratos, tripping up her own feet again.

After a good hour of walking, Kratos looked back to watch his companions. None of them had spoken a word since they left. There hadn't been any complaining at all. It was probably because he was in charge…

He looked up as he noticed Lloyd walking beside him.

"_What do mercenaries do?"_ he asked all of a sudden

"We're hired soldiers" Kratos replied with a question on his face.

"_Does it get paid well?"_ Lloyd continued

"That usually depends on the job…for this job, I received a pretty penny from Phaidra….wait…you're not planning on becoming a mercenary are you?" Kratos asked, raising an eyebrow

"Nah….I plan on building a ship someday…a ship on which I can sail the see…and be free…" 

Kratos smiled

"Good…that is a good dream" he added

Lloyd looked a little sad

"But…if the world is regenerated…mercenaries like you will probably lose their job's…what are you planning to do then?" Lloyd waited for his answer

Kratos didn't have a direct answer

"Humph…that's not a question to be worrying about now…" Lloyd looked up at him

"_Once I finish my ship…you could go with me!"_ he said in a friendly way

Kratos smiled. This was the first time Lloyd had seen him smile like that. Not one of his normal smirks, but a warm smile.

"Thank you, I'll think about it" was Kratos' reply

Lloyd laughed and they talked about all of their adventures as time passed by.

Kratos enjoyed talking to Lloyd. Was it because he was so open? Was it because he was so positive about everything? Or was it because…

He shook his head. This Lloyd couldn't be his son now could he?

But that name…and the grave in the backyard of Lloyd's house…Anna's grave…and, Noishe the protozoan…

Perhaps…just perhaps…

* * *

Celest's comment: PLEASE READ! The next chapter (and perhaps chapter 5 too) will be written as a complete flashback. That means it doesn't affect the current storyline as it has ended in this chapter. It's just a flashback that will probably be explained later in the story…

Thanks to all who read and/or review!


	4. The Exsphere

Celest's comment: I know my comments are often ignored and I bet you'll have a good reason to ignore them but please read this:

As I said before, this chapter (and perhaps chapter 5 too) will be written as a **complete flashback**. That means it doesn't affect the current storyline as it has ended here. The story might take a strange turn, please forgive me for that! I know I'm a bad writer, can't help it :)

* * *

04. The exsphere -

Kratos ducked as he saw a Desian guard coming around the angle. His heart beat in his throat, did he see him?

He heard the footsteps come closer and closer. He closed his eyes. Sneaking around a human ranch to screw up Yggdrasill's plans was definitely not his beast idea…

He still couldn't believe how he could have been so foolish. He didn't foresee Mithos' plans. His own student had given him false hope…

He shrugged as he focused on the footsteps that where…gone?

Kratos carefully lifted one eye and blinked a few times before opening his other one. The footsteps where gone indeed, but the guard…was he still there?

He didn't have the nerve to sneak around the dark corridor. What if he was still standing there?

Kratos looked around. There was no other way. He had caught himself at a dead end. His heart began to run faster as he pulled his sword and got ready for his sprint.

He turned around the corner and heaved his sword, running at the Desian guard who was indeed, still there.

The guard stunned as he saw the auburn-haired man with the sword coming straight at him! The guard shrieked, and Kratos let out a battle cry as he took out his enemy in one blow.

"Didn't like that?" he said with a smirk, looking at the K.O. Desian on the ground. He walked over to him and picked up the card the man had dropped.

Splendid! He had all 3 of the security cards now. He ran down the hall, past the enemies he had taken out earlier, and headed for the control room.

The control room was blocked by a mighty door, and the security system.

Kratos inserted the cards and quickly ran in. The door automatically shut behind him.

He looked down the large room and stunned as something had seemed to draw his attention. In the middle of the room stood a large tank, filled with a strange blue-glowing liquid, flowing around…a human body?

Kratos walked closer to find it was the body of a woman. Her pose made her look like she was being lifted up to the sky.

Her arms flowing around her body, her head slightly pulled back, and her long hair brushing against her pretty face. Her eyes where closed, and she didn't seem to breathe.

She was probably being held as a VIP, for the prison cells where on the other side of the facility.

Kratos didn't know why, but seeing the woman like this made him feel uneasy. Without hesitating, he slammed his body against the tank, and felt a flow of pain shooting through his arm.

The glass broke, and he carefully dragged the girl out of the tank as the liquid flowed away…

She coughed as she came back to her senses, her eyes where still closed.

As her eyes opened, a silence fell between them. They gazed into each other's eyes for a while, and Kratos saw that the girl was smiling, with a cute blush on her face.

Kratos felt his head turn read, and the girl must have noticed.

She looked at him with a surprised face, until she realised why he was blushing…

**WACK!**

The red print of her hand tingled in his face…

"_YOU PERVERT!"_ She yelled, covering her naked body with her hands.

He hadn't realised before, but the girl was indeed naked. She gave him a death glare and he quickly turned his face as she stood up, looking for her clothes.

"_This'll do!"_ he heard her say as she walked back up to him.

Kratos looked up to her and saw that she was wearing something that reminded him of a hessian bag…

Strangely enough, it did look good on her…He took his time to had a good look at her.

She had beautiful long red hair, and green sparkly eyes that seemed to reflect every possible emotion. Her body was long and slender.

"_I'm sorry I slapped you!" _She said, holding her giggle.

"_I didn't mean to!"_

"Apology accepted" he said with a smile while rubbing his red cheek.

The girl walked over to him and stopped right in front of him.

"_I haven't even properly thanked you yet…"_ She said with a blush as she closed her eyes and her face drew closer.

Kratos stunned…was she doing what he thought she was gonna do? He had to admit, she was really beautiful but….he felt himself backing away, until something seemed to draw his attention. He grabbed her hand…

"Is that an exsphere?" he tried to sound interested.

He saw the girl lifted her head and looked at him with disappointment.

"_oh…that"_ she replied

"_is that what this thing is called?"_

"You…didn't know?" Kratos asked with a frown

The girl rubbed the back of her head and pulled a silly face

"_uh-huh!"_ The girl replied. _"They planted it on me at the Iselia human ranch, and since that time, I've been dragged from ranch to ranch in a short period. I've heard someone talking about it…he said it was called a "Cruxis Whatcha-mah-callit?"_

"A Cruxis Crystal" Kratos added with a smile

"_Yes, that!"_ the girl replied cheerfully. _"he said something about a host body for the revival of some person named...Maria? Mary?"_

"Martel?" Kratos asked

"_Exactly! You seem to know quite a lot mister…."_

"Kratos…" he added…

"_Kratos…"_ she repeated

"_well anyway, mister "Kratos"_ The way she spoke his name sent shivers up his spine.

"They also said it had to do with something called the "Angelus project" 

"I see…" Kratos nodded.

"Well then miss….."

"_Anna"_ she immediately added

"Miss Anna…I'm not trying to startle you, but are you aware that you are in great danger as long as you wear that exsphere of yours out in the open?"

……………………

* * *

Celest's comment: I try to avoid cliff-hangers as much as possible, but it just doesn't always seem to work out as you can see…

The next chapter will also be written in flashback so keep concentrated on this part instead of the previous chapters:)


	5. The Desian Facility

- 05. The Escape -

The painful silence was quickly broken by Anna's harsh laugh.

"Do you think that's funny?" Kratos asked with a frown..

_"Well yeah, YOU bump into the facility, slashing practically everything in your way, stealing important research data, setting prisoners free, and then you tell ME that I'M in danger?"_

True enough…

Kratos couldn't find the words to respond.

"_Touché" _Anna chuckled under her breath.

Kratos' face flushed, he sharply turned his head.

" Well then, let's get going" he said as he walked out of the room, Anna followed shortly behind.

" _You're cute when you blush, you know that?" _

Kratos stunned as he felt his face turning the same color as his hair. Anna walked up to him and grabbed him by the arm.

" _Now now, don't be so modest, I'm just complimenting you!" _she added with a bright smile.

Kratos felt really stupid, not being able to reply. He forced himself to stop blushing.

" No time for silly games, we must be on our way at once…" he said in a serious tone as he continued walking.

Anna let go of his arm and started walking behind him again. Although he could not see it, he knew that Anna was probably glaring daggers at him for his last comment.

He smirked at the thought.

"Touché" he whispered…

They both walked silently for a while, Kratos didn't even bother to look back to see how Anna was doing.

" Shit…" Kratos hissed as he entered a large room with strong closed doors.

He looked around the room for a control panel or anything to open the door with, but in vain. He tried ramming the door with his body, and slashed his sword against the metallic edge, but the door didn't even budge.

" This is no good, we'll never get out at this rate" he said in an annoyed sigh as he turned towards Anna.

He found himself talking to a wall, for Anna was gone. Kratos really started to lose his patience.

" Miss Anna, as I have told you, this is no time for silly games…"

…no answer

" Miss Anna?" Kratos growled

…still no answer

Kratos let out an irritated sigh.

"Just my luck…JUST MY LUCK" he hissed under his breath as he started running back the small corridors to find her. Why did he rescue her in the first place? Bad question to be thinking about now…how much he would love it, he couldn't just leave her behind…he had to finish what he started…

His heart was throbbing in his throat as more empty rooms passed him by. His anger turned into frustration as he desperately called out her name.

"Anna! Can you hear me?"

"An---"

He stopped as he saw her standing near a wall, her hand reaching out for something.

It took a while before his normally fast-working brain had overseen the entire situation. His eyes widened as he realised what was going to happen next…

" DON'T! That's---"….

…A howling alarm echoed through the empty room…

"…the security system" he finished with a sweatdrop.

Anna looked at him with a guilty look on her face.

_" I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to --"_

Kratos bluntly cut her off

"Never mind…." He said in a sigh

_"Well excuse me for living, but you didn't really bother to stop me either..."_

Kratos' calamity was torn by that last comment.

" STOP YOU? You where the one who started wandering off!"

"_You should have just paid more attention then! Why did you save me in the first place?"_

" You'd better be grateful, you owe me your life!"

**WHACK!**

Kratos rubbed his cheek, while glaring at Anna

" I told you to stop tha--"

**WHACK!**

"_Don't you yell at me!"_ Anna snarled

"You don't have the power to tell me who I can yell at!" Kratos growled back

They didn't seem to notice that someone had entered the room in the process…

"Ignoring orders I can understand, but now you even betray Lord Yggdrasill? Mr. Aurion has sank even deeper down than I had expected" a calm voice said.

Kratos and Anna looked up to see a tall blonde man in a blue uniform, he was holding some sort of staff, his eyes were closed…

"Kvar…I thought I'd smell Desian scum, but I never expected YOU to be here…" Kratos scoffed back.

"Surprised? Well…that doesn't matter…What matters is that you have been in contact with host body F0012 -Anna- , and stole research data from the Angelus Project. Crimes such as these need to be punished.."

the man had hardly finished his sentence or Desian guards had come running into the room, surrounding them.

"I've no need for traitors.." Kvar started. " Bring me the girl, keep him secured"

Two of the guards roughly grabbed Anna by the arms as she was led towards the man in the uniform.

"Kvar! If you touch her I swear I'll make you _dig_ your own grave!" Kratos fell silent as the edge of a razor-sharp blade was pressed against his throat.

The man smiled, as he grabbed Anna by the chin.

"Such a waste really, to spill something beautiful like this only to be a test subject...Wouldn't you agree Kratos?" he said as he forced her head into Kratos' direction.

"_Kratos…"_ she whispered desperately

"Still, why would you even bother to save an inferior being like her? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill her here and now." Kvar said calmly as he pushed her to the ground, twisting her arm in the wrong direction.

Anna cried out, tears rolling down her face as she tried to remove the hand that was forcing her down.

"Kvar, you bastard!" Kratos yelled, anger boiling up inside of him.

"Oh, don't you worry Kratos…I won't kill her just yet, I need her for the Angelus project." He said as he released her, and slowly walked towards the auburn-haired man.

"Sadly, I have no need for you"

Kvar smoothly drew a knife, stabbing it into Kratos' belly.

Kratos gasped for air as he fell down to his knees, the guards released him. His hand reaching toward his mouth as he coughed up blood.

Kvar smirked. "I'm sorry Kratos, but I'm afraid I can't help you out of your misery. I need orders from Lord Yggdrasill to go any further"

Kratos looked up at the man with pity.

"Heh…" he said as he spat blood at Kvar's feet.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL DOG!" Kvar yelled as he punched Kratos back to the ground.

Kratos tried to collect himself after the fall but his muscles wouldn't give in to it. Black spots flashed before his eyes….

There was a faint sound before he completely blanked out…

…"_First Aid"_…

* * *

Woohoo!Fifth chapter is finallyup after...a lot of days! )

Sorry it took so long, I swear I'll have the sixth chapter up befgore the weekend, that's a sworn oath!

Thanks to all who read / review!


	6. The Escape

All right people, before continuing to read chapter six, please read this first. I've had some comments from people telling me the order of the flashbacks isn't told logically, affecting the rest of the story. That's because (you might have figured it) the events in the story are told non-chronological. I hope you can still follow the storyline as it is right now, because I'm not sure whether to end the flashback in chapter six or seven. Anyway, thanks to all who read/review! )

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- 06. The Escape -

"_Kratos…."_

…who's there?

"_Kratos…are you alright?"_

…where did the voice come from?

Kratos slowly opened his eyes…

…what happened?

He looked around the room, to bring back his memory

His breathing stopped for a moment as his eyes met those of a tall blonde man, standing next to him.

"……" Kratos breathed uneasily

Suddenly he realized what had happened. He remembered arguing with Anna, he remembered the tall blonde man had hurt her, he remembered being stabbed by the man…then… a sound…..

...a sound, a sound of someone calling something, almost like chanting a spell…a healing spell if he remembered. The voice definitely belonged to a woman….Anna?

Yes…Anna had healed him.

He looked around the room to find Anna, standing near the wall, she was a little shaky, but she looked all right.

He thanked her with a warm smile as he stood up and walked towards her.

"That's what I hate about vermin, it keeps coming back" an irritated voice said

Kratos looked up to see the face of that man he despised so much, the face of evil, Kvar…

"I must say I'm quite impressed you are still alive after that attack, although it won't buy you the time to escape death anyway" the man said with a serious face.

"Enough is enough" Kratos calmly replied.

"Enough you say? I'm only satisfied when I see the two of you dead, get them!"

Kratos gave Anna a quick glance, who didn't really seemed to understand the position she was in right now…

She let out a small shriek as Kratos grabbed her by the hand and started running, pulling her along.

They passed so many rooms, so many corridors; Kratos had totally lost his coordination as he ran aimlessly, trying to avoid contact with the man again.

He stopped as he felt Anna's warm hand slip out of his own. Anna fell down on her knees.

"Are you alright?"

"_I'm….fine"_ she panted

_"I just…can't go any further"_

"Then I'm afraid I need to carry you" he said as he walked up to her and lifted her up in his arms.

Anna shrieked for a moment, her arm was still aching like hell…

"Try not to focus on the pain...right now we need to focus on getting out of here" Kratos said gently.

"_Sounds great"_ she chuckled…

Anna felt really comfortable being so close to the man. She could feel his heart beat next to her own as he kept on running, feeling his breath as he panted on the rhythm of his own footsteps.

Anna suddenly noticed they were heading towards a dead end, it was a long, small corridor, with a large window at the end.

_"Erh…Kratos?"_

"Do you like flying Anna?" he asked out of a sudden

Anna chuckled. _"What kind of question is that? I can't flyyyYYYYY!_"

Anna tried to catch her breath as she noticed they had just gone straight through the window.

"_What are you doing? Do you intend to have us both killed?"_ she screamed as she closed her eyes and waited for the ground which was coming closer by the second.

The fall seemed to last forever, yet she didn't dare open her eyes to see how close they were to the climax now. But still…they should've already hit the ground, it wasn't THAT much of a height…well, it was, but still, they should've already hit the ground by now. Hell, like that frikkin' matters right now!

She slowly lifted her eye and blinked a few times before opening the other one. They weren't near the ground, not nearly, it even seemed like the ground had stopped coming closer.

Anna looked up at Kratos, her eyes widening in amazement and disbelief…

…the man had...WINGS?

She was indeed right; Beautiful blue wings decorated his back, keeping them from hitting the ground. Anna twitched as she tried to oversee the situation.

"O_...kay…I just jumped out of window with a man who seems to be capable of flying…that makes sense" _she chuckled to herself, resisting the urge to faint into the man's arms.

Kratos slowly put her down as his feet reached the ground.

"Are you allright?" he asked

"_Land!"_ Anna yelled as she dropped her body into the soft grass.

She cried out as a wave of pain rushed through her arm.

Kratos sat beside her.

" Your arm…let me have a look at it" he insisted, while gently lifting her arm.

Anna tried to fight back the tears as he carefully studied her arm.

"It seems your arm has been dislocated, but I can fix that. Just…relax" he said calmly before giving a swing to her arm.

Another wave of pain. Anna cried out as she raised her other arm to slap the man, but Kratos had already grabbed her wrist.

"Forgive me...I didn't mean to hurt you" he said gently as he used his thumb to wipe the tears off her cheek.

_"No…I'm sorry for trying to smack you again…thank you for everything…really…"_

"It's alright..." he replied with a warm smile.

Anna had never felt like this before. She gazed up in his eyes, those beautiful deep red eyes. For a moment they seemed to reflect every possible emotion. He was so handsome…

Anna closed her eyes as their faces slowly drew closer, feeling each others breath as their lips carefully brushed together.

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Love is in the air, doo doo doo doo doo doo XD

cough I know what you're thinking now kiddo's 83 don't get the wrong idea:P


	7. City in Shambles

- 07. City in Shambles -

Their lips had barely touched or Kratos had already pulled away

"No…." he said as he stood up, turning his back on her.

Anna was confused, it all happened so fast. She felt happy, yet she was sad. She felt relieved, yet she was disappointed. Why did he pull away? How could she allow this man to toy around with her heart?

Anna looked up as Kratos let out a sharp whistle.

She frowned. _"Oh great, every being out there must have heard that"_

She looked into the distance to see something coming their way. Perhaps it was a caravan that could save her from this confusing man. Probably not…the area looked pretty much neglected.

She focused her eyes on the thing that seemed to be running straight at them. She recognized something that looked like…ears…long ears and a sweeping tail. It looked like a dog…a BIG dog. Maybe it was a wolf?

Kratos didn't seem to notice.

The creature was running towards them at full speed now, its ears waving in the wind as it came closer and closer.

Anna gulped, her heart beating in her throat. She wanted to run but her body was frozen, like it was pinned to the ground. She yelled as the creature jumped right over her head and towards Kratos.

Anna's jaw dropped down to her feet as she saw Kratos standing there, smiling, while scratching behind the ears of the creature.

"It's good to see you again my friend…" he said in a voice that resembled both calamity and adoration.

Anna was trembling as she tried to stand up to her feet. He…he knew this…THING?

"_What, in the name of Martel is THAT?"_ she cried out as she bluntly pointed at the creature.

"THAT, is Noishe, a protozoan" Kratos chuckled.

"_Proto…what?"_

The creature growled…

"A protozoan, he is somewhat comparable to an evolving kind of monster."

"_Humph…."_ She replied as she slowly walked away.

"If you're planning on leaving, you should at least take someone with you. It's dangerous to walk these roads on your own…" He added. He didn't really sound like he was planning to go with her.

"_Well, whatever"_ she said. _"I'm going home"_

Kratos sighed, as he threw a dagger at her feet. "Then at least take this with you, you need something to protect yourself with."

"_Oh, so now you expect me to thank you, right? Thank you for the wonderful time you've spent with me Mr. Aurion. Goodbye to you!" _she yelled as she picked up the dagger and turned her back on the man.

Kratos sat down as he watched Anna become a small spot in the distance.

He smiled as he stroked Noishes' head

"This, I need to see…"

"_Unbelievable" _Anna hissed under her breath.

What had caused his sudden mood-twist? He was so gentle and sweet earlier. Then why didn't he stop her when she left?

She sighed. This was going to be a long journey indeed…

After a few hours of walking, Anna started to feel uneasy. She felt a strange presence…almost as if…she was not alone…

"_Stop following me!"_ she called without looking back.

"For your information, I'm not following you. I'm headed towards Luin for my own business…" a voice from behind her called.

Anna stopped and sharply turned her face.

"_L-Luin? You can't!"_

"Oh? Might I ask why?" Kratos calmly asked.

"_Because I live there! I was headed towards Luin as well!"_ Anna screamed hysterically.

"…Then I'm afraid our paths cross again" he said as he slowly walked past her.

"_Wait a minute! Just…what is your problem?"_ she asked as she tried to catch up with him.

"I don't have any problems" he calmly added. "You seem to have a problem with me…"

"_Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you think you went a little bit too far back there?"_

"…I wasn't really bothered by it." He shrugged.

"_I'm really staring to tire of this holier-then-thou attitude of yours, you know that?"_

Kratos sharply turned his head.

"Allow me to make things clear missy…." He started.

"First of all, you're not in a position to give me commands. Secondly, I didn't save you to be yelled at, and finally, what happened back there was a big mistake. The sooner we get to Luin the better…"

Anna gave him a disappointed look before she closed her eyes and started running…

Running from the man who had just torn the last piece of her heart.

Suddenly she stopped. She just…stopped, as if struck by lightening.

Kratos frowned. As he walked up to her, he noticed her eyes almost went completely blank, she didn't even blink, her mouth hung open, but she didn't make a sound.

As Kratos looked up he saw what had hit her so hard.

"…Dear Goddess…" he whispered.

Just in front of them laid the remains of a city that once was referred to as "the city of hope". But right now, all there was left were burning houses, devastated bridges, blood and dead bodies.

"What happened here?.. he asked with a trembling voice as he saw Anna standing in front of a ruined house that looked like it was once used as an inn.

"…_This…was my home…" _she whispered.

Kratos put his hand on her shoulder as he softly squeezed it.

"_This…was all my fault…They attacked the village because of me…"_ Anna cried, tears rolling down her face.

"Don't say that…" Kratos replied.

" It's not your fault, the Desians would have attacked the city sooner or later…You did what you could to prevent it…"

"_How can you say that?" _She cried as she turned towards him. _"Countless of people have died because of me…I would rather sacrifice myself then to see innocent people become victim of something they're not even directly involved in."_

Kratos roughly grabbed her shoulders as he looked her straight in the eyes.

"…Anna, those people didn't become victims because they wanted to…these people had build hope and dreams, and fought to protect it. They fought for the future of this city, as well as the hopes and dreams of those living in constant fear of the Desians. Even when you were taken to the ranch, you still intended to fight for that cause. You did all you could…"

Kratos slightly blushed as Anna fell into his arms, holding him close, crying on his shoulder. His chin brushed against her hair as he gently wrapped his arm around her waist.

"They'll pay for this…I swear…"

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Hullo readers! )  
Sorry for taking me so long to update, but I'm kinda busy at the moment.  
I'm working as fast as I can so please be patient ;  
Also, requests and/or suggestions are always more than welcome, as long as it doesn't affact the current storyline, so if you have any ideas, do not hesitate to tell me!

Thanks to all who read and review, teh Celest wufz you all! 3


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